TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Muckrock: MuckRock and DocumentCloud merge to build tools for a more informed society. “We are thrilled to announce that DocumentCloud and MuckRock are merging. The reason is simple: Mission. Our organizations share a core belief that institutions should be open, transparent and accountable to the people they serve.”

Mozilla Blog: Our past work with Facebook. “Over the last three months, Mozilla has been a vocal critic of Facebook’s practices with respect to its lack of user transparency. Throughout this time we’ve engaged with Facebook directly about this and have continued to comment publicly as the story about Facebook’s data practices evolves.”

Search Engine Journal: Facebook’s New “Memories” Page Highlights Engaging Posts from Years Past. “Facebook has introduced a new home on the web that users can visit to reminisce on top posts they’ve published throughout the years. The new ‘Memories’ page features a collection of of top text posts, photos, videos, and major life events.”

Mashable: You can now delete Snapchat messages you instantly regret. “We’ve all been there: You send a message to a group of friends only to realize how dumb it sounds after the message is sent. Now, Snapchat is going to make it easier for you to go back and quickly delete the message from your conversations in the app.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Medium: Social Media in the Middle East: The Continued Rise of Messaging Apps. “This is the first in a series of ten short extracts from my sixth annual round-up of social media trends from the Middle East and North Africa (written with University of Oregon student Amanda Lam). Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2017 is available for download from the University of Oregon Scholars’ Bank and on Scribd, SlideShare and Academia.edu.”

Quartz: Tanzania’s repressive online laws have forced the “Swahili Wikileaks” to close. “Jamii Forums announced it was forced to comply with a government notice that it apply for an online license or cease operation ahead of the June 15 deadline. As part of the new restrictions, the government must certify all bloggers and charge an annual license fee of over $900. Those defying the new orders face fines starting at five million Tanzanian shillings ($2,200) or a year in prison.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

TechCrunch: The messy, musical process behind the web’s new security standard . “The web is a big place, and changing the way it works isn’t a simple process. But it has to happen somehow or we’d all still be using Mosaic and transmitting our private data in cleartext. A new security standard called TLS 1.3 is the latest big change to how our browsers communicate, but the process by which it was created is a little weirder and less structured than you might think.”

Reuters: Vietnam lawmakers approve cyber law clamping down on tech firms, dissent. “Vietnamese legislators approved a cybersecurity law on Tuesday that tightens control of the internet and global tech companies operating in the Communist-led country, raising fears of economic harm and a further crackdown on dissent.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

US News & World Report: Data Obtained by AP Shows Social Media Alters Gang Life. “Gangs’ embrace of social media to goad foes or conceal drug dealing in emoji-laden text is the biggest change in how gangs operate compared with 10 years ago, according to new law enforcement data provided exclusively to The Associated Press ahead of its release Tuesday by the Chicago Crime Commission. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites have radically altered gang culture in Chicago. They are having a similar influence on gangs nationwide.”

CBC: Interactive tool makes for easier tracking of North Atlantic right whales. “Tracking North Atlantic right whales may now be easier than ever, thanks to WhaleMap, an interactive map that pools data from various whale surveillance methods and is updated in real time. WhaleMap was developed by Hansen Johnson, a PhD student in oceanography at Dalhousie University. ” Good afternoon, Internet…

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